August 6,
2012, Geneva, Switzerland – Member companies of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development's (WBCSD) Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), ACC
Limited, Shree Cement Ltd and Ultratech Cement Ltd, and the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) announced signing of cooperation agreements to
support low carbon investment in the Indian cement sector.
August 6,
2012, Geneva, Switzerland – Member companies of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development's (WBCSD) Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI), ACC
Limited, Shree Cement Ltd and Ultratech Cement Ltd, and the International
Finance Corporation (IFC) announced signing of cooperation agreements to
support low carbon investment in the Indian cement sector.
The cooperation agreements
are part of a project the industry is co-leading, to develop the Low Carbon
Technology Roadmap for the Indian Cement Industry. The Indian roadmap, to be
launched in late 2012, will be the first roadmap to focus on one specific
industrial sector in a single country. WBCSD’s CSI and the International Energy
Agency (IEA) 2009 Global Cement Technology roadmap was the first report of its
kind to provide an ambitious vision for carbon emissions reductions for one
industry sector as a whole, up to 2050. The roadmap outlines a possible
transition path for the industry to make continued contributions towards a
halving of global CO₂ emissions by 2050. As part of this contribution, this
roadmap estimates that the cement industry could reduce its direct emissions 18
percent from 2005 levels by 2050.
Involvement from the IFC has
enabled the WBCSD to widen the project’s coverage and scope. As part of the
roadmap project, a set of technical papers on greenhouse gas emission
reductions relevant to the Indian cement industry has been developed. IFC
support will enable CSI member companies in India to undertake a resource
efficiency assessment looking into feasibility of implementation of these
technologies at selected manufacturing locations. The assessment will identify
specific areas where investments related to energy efficiency, technology
up-gradation, material conservation etc. could lead to greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions reductions.
Philippe Fonta, Managing
Director of the CSI, announcing the cooperation, said: “I’m delighted to see
the roadmap project co-chair companies sign cooperation agreements with IFC, to
assess practical implementation of low-carbon technologies at specific plants.
Through this, member companies in India continue to contribute to CSI’s global
efforts to lead the industry to a lower carbon future. With 25 members in over
100 countries, CSI can reach out to the cement industry globally and will share
the learning from this important work in India with the industry more broadly.”
Ramesh Ramanathan, Manager,
(Manufacturing, Agri business and services), IFC South Asia said: “While public
policy responses are critical in addressing climate change, the private sector
also plays a leading role in providing innovative business solutions. IFC works
with domestic and international partners to catalyze resources and help
business fill financing and knowledge gaps in areas such as renewable energy
and efficient technologies. We view the roadmap project as a unique initiative
to share best practices in sustainability.”
The India roadmap is being
developed collaboratively by the WBCSD’s CSI and the IFC. It is led by CSI
member companies in India, which represent over 65 percent of the country’s
cement production. They are: ACC Ltd, Ambuja Cements, Dalmia Bharat Cement Ltd,
HeidelbergCement India Ltd, Jaypee Cements Ltd, Lafarge India Private Ltd, My
Home Industries Ltd / CRH, Shree Cement, Shree Digvijay Cement Co Ltd – Cimpor
Group, UltraTech Cement and Zuari Cement. The IFC is bringing expertise in data
analysis and modeling, and roadmap development. The Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) and the National Council are providing technical consultancy for
Cement and Building Materials (NCB). The global Cement Technology Roadmap 2009
is available at: www.wbcsdcement.org/technology.
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